Introduction
Do we have a good one for you today – the flagship Huawei Nexus 6P takes on the newest Samsung Galaxy S7 in a battle over specifications. The all-metal Nexus 6P received rave reviews upon its arrival in September, but does it still have the muscle to take on the metal and glass beauty that is the Galaxy S7? The Nexus 6P was all-new last year, as was the Galaxy S6, so this rendition of the Galaxy S7 is more a refinement or evolution than any drastic change. Let’s take a quick look at what these two devices have in common before we take a careful look at each one.
The Nexus 6P and the Galaxy S7 share the AMOLED display technology and they both have a QHD resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels, although different sized displays. They both are using a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, but different models – the Galaxy S7 can also be sporting the new Exynos 8890 processor as it all depends in what country you make your purchase. They both have options of 32GB or 64GB of internal memory, but only the Galaxy S7 is expandable. The primary cameras are close in megapixels, but use different sensors. They both have a non-removable battery and offer rapid charge. The Nexus 6P and Galaxy S7 have the usual suspects – WiFi, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS, NFC, a fingerprint sensor and a microUSB v2.0 port (Type-C on the 6P) for charging or data transfer.
Please take a deliberate look at the detailed Specifications Comparison chart below and here you will see just how these two great devices stack up against one another – click on the “View Full Comparison” link at the end of the chart to expand the details. After that, we will look at each individual device in greater detail and point out some of its pros and cons. From all of this information we will try to determine the winner based on specs and execution of design and functions.
Specifications
Huawei Nexus 6P
The Huawei Nexus 6P is a well-built device with an all-metal unibody construction. It is available in four colors – Aluminum, Graphite, Frost, or Matte Gold and any one of them will give your Nexus 6P a premium look. Does it have the specifications to give the new Galaxy S7 a run for its money? Both devices look great, but what about the insides – the displays, processors, memory, batteries and other features?
Samsung produces the Nexus 6P’s 5.7-inch AMOLED display, but rest assured, it is not their Super AMOLED technology that they reserve for their own devices. It is QHD with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and 518 PPI. This compares to the 5.1-inch QHD Super AMOLED display on the Galaxy S7 with 577 PPI. Huawei decided to go with the 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor, version 2.1. It has four cores clocked at 1.55 GHz and four cores clocked at 2.0 GHz. For the Galaxy S7, Samsung decided to go back to their new Exynos 8890 octa-core processor or the Snapdragon 820 quad-core processor depending where you live. The Nexus 6P has 3GB of RAM and a choice of 32GB, 64GB or 128GB of internal memory and has no means for external expansion. The Galaxy S7 has 4GB of RAM and either 32GB or 64GB of internal memory, but can be expanded up to 200GB via a microSD card slot.
The camera on the Nexus 6P received high marks from DxOMark and did well in our own testing. It has a 12.3MP sensor, laser autofocus, f/2.0 aperture and dual-tone LED flash…but no OIS. This goes up against seemingly great redesigned camera on the Galaxy S7 with a 12MP sensor, quick autofocus, larger f/1.7 aperture, LED flash and OIS. The Nexus 6P has a large 8MP FFC for selfies and video chatting, while the Galaxy S7 uses a 5MP FFC. The Nexus 6P has a large, 3450mAh non-removable battery that includes a rapid charge feature via its Type-C reversible plug. The Galaxy S7 has a smaller 3000mAh non-removable battery with rapid charge and quick wireless charging.
The Nexus 6P has a great Samsung-built AMOLED QHD display and has dual front-facing stereo speakers. It is running pure Android 6.0 Marshmallow and will always get the fastest upgrades possible when new versions come out. Pricing is at only $500 for the 32GB model and offers a great value. It is unlocked and is usable on all major US networks.
Samsung Galaxy S7
Samsung did a total redesign of the Galaxy S6 series last year, so this year the Galaxy S7 is a refinement of the initial design. The outside metal and glass construction is rather hard to distinguish from the Galaxy S6, although the top on the device does have a slight downward curve added to make it more comfortable to hold up to your ear. It is still the same beautiful smartphone, but most of the improvements or changes occurred on the inside of the device. How well does it stack up to the flagship Nexus 6P?
The Galaxy S7 sports a 5.1-inch QHD Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and 577 PPI. The Nexus 6P uses a larger 5.7-inch QHD AMOLED display and 518 PPI. Samsung also included an “Always-On” display on the Galaxy S7. The Galaxy S7 model uses one of two processors – either their new Exynos 8890 octa-core processor or the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 quad-core processor depending where you are located. The Nexus 6P uses the Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor. The Galaxy S7 uses 4GB of RAM versus the 3GB RAM in the Nexus 6P. The Galaxy S7 offers 32GB or 64GB of faster internal UFS 2.0 memory, but added back the ability to expand this an additional 200GB with a microSD card. The Nexus 6P offers 32GB, 64GB and for a while 128GB of internal memory with no expansion option.
Samsung really changed the camera area this year on the Galaxy S7 and is using a new Dual Pixel 12MP with a larger sensor, allowing it to take in more light and information than the older 16MP sensor. They also added a very large aperture of f/1.7, increased the speed of autofocus, offer live HDR and retained OIS, while the Nexus 6P uses the highly praised 16MP. The Galaxy S7 uses a 5MP FFC with Live HDR, a large f/1.7 aperture and 22mm wide-angle lens for selfies and video chatting while the Nexus 6P uses a larger 8MP FFC. The Galaxy S7 battery, though still non-removable, jumped in size from 2550mAh to 3000mAh, comes with rapid charge and quick wireless charging. This goes up against the large 3450mAh non-removable battery in the Nexus 6P, which also offers a rapid charge feature.
The Galaxy S7 does offer IP68 water/dust proofing, expandable memory, quick wireless charging and “always-on” display. It also offers the option of Samsung Pay, besides the usual Android Pay. It retains the heart rate and oxygen saturation sensors, and a slightly larger 3000mAh battery this year, but it is still non-removable. The Samsung battery will charge for up to four hours of usage in only 10 minutes and includes quick wireless charging. The Galaxy S7 measures 142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9 mm, weighs in at 152 grams and will be offered in Black Onyx and Gold Platinum and cost about $670 off-contract.
…And The Winner Is…
Summary
Okay, before the Nexus 6P owners string me up – I placed the Galaxy S7 in the winners picture because it is the clear winner when it comes to specifications. This should not surprise anybody being that the Galaxy S7 is new and therefore has newer technology, better specifications and a higher price.
Now if you want to look at the value the Nexus 6P brings to the party, you could make a great argument for the 6P – all-metal case, solid design, good camera, QHD AMOLED display, octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM, larger battery, front-facing speakers and it will receive the fastest Android updates.
I almost talked myself out of my decision toward the Galaxy S7 – however, it also has a beautiful metal and glass design with a solid build. It has Samsung’s own QHD Super AMOLED display, great camera from testing so far, a much more advanced processor, be it the Snapdragon 820 or Exynos 8890, 4GB of RAM, room for internal memory expansion, IP68 waterproofing, quick wireless charging, heart rate monitor, oxygen saturation sensor and offers up Samsung Pay.
As you can see, you cannot go wrong with either of these beasts, but the Samsung Galaxy S7 does have newer and more powerful technology, Samsung Pay which is gaining in popularity, memory expansion and a few other extras – heart rate, oxygen sensor and wireless charging, if those interest you.
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